The body of an actor who disappeared from a theatre a week ago has been found, police have said.

Paul Bhattacharjee, 53, who appeared in the James Bond film Casino Royale, left the Royal Court theatre in Sloane Square, London, at about 6.15pm on Wednesday 10 July. His girlfriend was the last person to hear from him when he texted her at 9pm that night.

Scotland Yard has been contacted by officers in Sussex and told that the body of a man matching his description had been found near cliffs at Splash Point in Seaford, East Sussex, last Friday.

Bhattacharjee, from Redbridge, north-east London, has been formally identified and next of kin have been informed. His death is not being treated as suspicious.

His son Rahul Bhattacharjee-Prashar, 24, who lives in Earlsfield, south-west London, with his mother, told the Evening Standard his father's disappearance was "completely out of character. He was doing well in his career and everything seemed to be going OK. I just don't know what has happened."

CCTV footage captured Bhattacharjee on 10 July walking from the stage door area of the theatre up an external alleyway and turned left as if walking towards Sloane Square tube station.

Michael Billington, the Guardian's theatre critic, has paid tribute. He said: "The death of Paul Bhattacharjee gave me, like everyone else, a profound sense of shock. Although many stories referred to him as a 'former EastEnders actor' or 'former Bond actor', I always think of Bhattacharjee for his stage work.

"He appeared at the Royal Court, the National, the RSC, the Tricycle, the Young Vic and many of the top regional theatres. He was an actor of dignity and stature who, without denying his British-Asian origin, was not confined by it: in short, he could play just about anything.

"Bhattacharjee was one of those actors whose name on a programme gave you the reassuring sense that you were in safe hands … Bhattacharjee was just one of those actors whom it was always a delight to see. I find it hard to believe he won't be around any more."

The actor, from Redbridge, north-east London, who had appeared in the films The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, White Teeth and Dirty Pretty Things, was due to appear in Talk Show, a black comedy, this week.

He was in the Royal Court's company of 14 actors performing in the weekly rep series, which sees six plays staged in six weeks. He had already appeared in two, including The President Has Come to See You, in which he played the president of Georgia who had gone on the run and was hiding in his citizens' homes. His role in Talk Show, which began on Tuesday night, was recast.

The actor played a doctor in Casino Royale in 2006 and appeared as Benedick opposite Meera Syal in an RSC production of Much Ado About Nothing in Stratford-upon-Avon last year. His television work includes EastEnders, Waking the Dead, The Jury, Spooks and The Bill.